Mike McDaniel defies the mold in almost every conceivable way as an NFL head coach, but that unique brand of leadership is how he got to running the show for the Miami Dolphins.
You won't find a more loquacious football genius than McDaniel, whose always-entertaining press conferences feel more like stand-up comedy than monologues about football-related matters. Nevertheless, McDaniel built his reputation as a schematic mastermind who has earned the utmost respect from players all across the league.
Just when it looked like Miami was no longer buying what McDaniel was selling, the Dolphins rallied from a 1-6 start to surge to 6-7 after Week 14's dominant win over the AFC East rival Jets.
It turns out there was a key adjustment McDaniel made behind the scenes to position his players better for success. It had nothing to do with McDaniel's renowned call sheet, either.
Mike McDaniel traded long-winded instincts for brevity, and the Dolphins resoundingly responded
As someone who's also self-aware enough to recognize brevity isn't my strong suit, I give mad props to McDaniel for recognizing he could, you know, truncate things a bit for his players.
McDaniel's football brain and penchant for comedy work in tandem like a fireworks show when he's in public settings. Trying to communicate the complex intricacies of what runs through McDaniel's cranium must be akin to distilling rocket fuel. He recognized that all he needed to do was be more succinct with his words in meetings to get his philosophy to better stick its landing, so to speak.
Whether that ultimately made the difference or not, the on-field results amid Miami's run of five wins in six games speak for themselves. Check out what McDaniel had to say about his tweaked approach:
🎥 Mike McDaniel on the changes that he's made during the win streak: "I try to miminize how long I talk in the meetings and just really challenge coaches to get to the nuts and bolts of what we need to cover in meetings so that we can maintain our energy." (@MiamiDolphins)… pic.twitter.com/WxSvrcPJ05
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) December 7, 2025
Speaking of long-winded. Sheesh. I gave y'all quite the preamble to that McDaniel quote. Apologies! Like I said. Brevity is not a strong suit.
Anyone still skeptical of McDaniel and his messaging could easily point to the Fins' rather soft schedule as a big help to their resurgence. How easy would it have been for the team to tune McDaniel out, check out, and enjoy the finer things Miami has to offer, rather than grind away and rally when there was little incentive to do so, nor clear evidence that the outcomes would be any different if they did?
That speaks to the culture McDaniel has built. It also speaks to the level of buy-in, professionalism, and the football character of the players and coaches in the Dolphins' locker room that they've turned this ship around in such drastic fashion.
Week 15 offers a stiffer test, as Miami travels to face the AFC North-leading Steelers on Monday Night Football.
Something tells me these revitalized Dolphins will be up to the task. It'll just take another week of great practice, preparation, and yes, more succinct meetings run by McDaniel to ensure the job gets done in Pittsburgh.